John de Warenne (1231-1304)
}} * 6th Earl of Surrey and Sussex Biography John was prominent during the reigns of Henry III and Edward I. During his long life he fought in the Second Barons' War and in Edward I's wars in Scotland. The king appointed Warenne captain of the campaign against the Scots in early 1298. He raised the siege of Roxburgh and re-took the castle at Berwick. The king himself took the field later that year, and Warenne was one of the commanders at the Battle of Falkirk. Early Life Warenne was the son and heir of William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey, and Maud Marshal. His mother was the daughter of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and widow of Hugh Bigod, 3rd Earl of Norfolk, making Roger Bigod, 4th Earl of Norfolk his elder half-brother. A boy when his father died, Warenne became a royal ward. Peter of Savoy was appointed guardian of his holdings and Warenne was raised at the royal court. In 1247, he married Henry III's half-sister Alice le Brun de Lusignan, a marriage that created resentment amongst the English nobility, who did not like seeing a wealthy English nobleman marrying a penniless foreigner. During the following years, Warenne was closely associated with the court faction centering on his in-laws. In 1254, he accompanied the king's son Edward (the future Edward I) on Edward's journey to Spain to marry Eleanor of Castile. During the conflicts between Henry III and his barons, Warenne started as a strong supporter of the king, switched to support for Simon de Montfort, and then returned to the royalist party. He opposed the initial baronial reform plan of May 1258, but along with other opponents capitulated and took the oath of the Provisions of Oxford. Second War of the Barons By 1260, Warenne had joined the party of Simon de Montfort, but switched back to the king's side in 1263. In April 1264, he and Roger de Leybourne were besieged by de Montfort at Rochester Castle. In April of the same year Warenne was present for the Battle of Lewes (fought near his ancestral home, Lewes Castle). After the capture of the king and Prince Edward he fled to the Continent, where he remained for about a year. He returned to fight in the campaign which culminated in the Battle of Evesham and the siege of Kenilworth Castle. Warenne served in Edward I's Welsh campaigns in 1277, 1282, and 1283. In 1282 he received the lordships of Bromfield and Yale in Wales. A good part of the following years were spent in Scotland. He was one of the negotiators for the 1289 treaty of Salisbury and for the 1290 treaty of Birgham, and accompanied the king on Edward's 1296 invasion of Scotland where he commanded the only major field action of that year in the Battle of Dunbar. On 22 August 1296, the king appointed him "warden of the kingdom and land of Scotland". However Warenne returned to England a few months later claiming that the Scottish climate was bad for his health. The following spring saw the rebellion of William Wallace, Warenne was ordered to lead his army North by the King after initially refusing to return to Scotland. He was defeated by Wallace at the Battle of Stirling Bridge and fled to York. Later Years Warenne died on 29 September 1304 in Kennington, Kent. He was interred in Lewes Priory at a service conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. He was succeeded by his grandson, also called John. Marriage and Family John de Warenne and Alice de Lusignan had three children: # Eleanor de Warenne (1251-1282), who married Henry Percy and was the mother of Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy of Alnwick; (See Percy Family) # Isabella de Warenne (c1253-bef1292), who married John Balliol (also called John II Baiol) and was the mother of Edward Balliol; # William de Warenne (1256-1286), who married Joan, daughter of Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford, and was accidentally killed at a tournament on 15 December 1286. Their son John succeeded his grandfather as 7th Earl of Surrey; their daughter Alice de Warenne married Edmund Fitzalan, 9th Earl of Arundel. Research Notes Some reports appear to list Griffen Warren (c1288-) as an illegitimate son, but this seems highly doubtful. References * - Wikipedia * John Warren * Warren in Cheshire * Warenne Family Ancestry * Royal Title Ancestors #4040 * John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey - GENI * From Warren Family Researcher Pamela Johnson. Source: East Cheshire Past and Present by J.P. Earwaker, London, 1877 (CRO, Knutsford). This is widely regarded as the best work on East Cheshire of the 19th century. It is useful for family trees of landed families. * Thomas Thomas Descendants: Including Related Surnames of Colvin, Cox, Davis ... - pg 453-472. History and Genealogy. * Memoirs of the Earls of Warren and Surrey - by Watson, first published in 1782 and recently reproduced on CD rom.. This has further details together with family trees that can be found therein. * A History and genealogy of the Warren Family - by Rev. Thomas Warren, first published in 1902. This has been reprinted on several occasions. * Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700 by Frederick Lewis Weis, Lines: 83-28, 153A-20, 153A-29, 161-27. * * Category:House of Plantagenet 106 Category:Famous people